AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How the hell does this woman hit this shit on the head like this? “I got my heart broken once, I don’t want it to happen again,” I argue.
“I’m just gonna say this. Since I’ve started dating Anthony, I’ve gotten to know them all better. The one thing Icantell you about Mason is that he loves his son, he loves the guys he works with, and he doesn’t give his heart half-way. He’s not going to break yours, K. I can almost promise you that.”
“There’s just so many things he’s seen and done, that I’ve never had to deal with.” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. “He was a dad as a teenager, he’s sending his own teenager off to college this summer, he’s had to deal with so many situations I’ve never even thought of,” I trail off. “What if he gets bored with me, what if in the grand scheme of things I’m too immature for him, just because I don’t have the same life experiences.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” She uses her foot to jostle my chair slightly. “Stop looking for things that aren’t there. How do you feel about him?”
The question is one nobody’s ever asked, because I’ve not told anyone else we’re dating. How do I feel about Mason Harrison? “He makes me laugh, he makes me hot, and throughout the day, I think about him. Probably way more than I should. I find myself texting him little snippets of conversations that I find funny. If I see a meme on Facebook and it reminds me of him, I’ll screenshot it and text it to him. I’ve never done that with another guy.” I realize as I’m talking, the words are the truth.
“What else, Karina? What else has he opened up inside of you that you never thought about.”
“He cares so much about Caleb.” I keep talking. “So many of our conversations when we’re texting are about him. It’s obvious Mason is so proud of his son.”
“We all are,” she interjects. “He’s come a long way from being the annoying little shit he was a few months ago. He’s grown up a lot in that time. I was afraid at one point of what would happen to him. Would we find him wrapped around a telephone pole? Would we find him dead at a barn party? Would he finally piss Mason off enough to where he’d actually do something detrimental to his son’s future? Luckily Caleb pulled it together.”
“I’m still waiting for Mason to tell me what happened between them, like what prompted the change, and how all of that came about. I’m sure I can ask other people in Laurel Springs, but I want that to come from his mouth.”
As we put our fingers under the dryer, Violet glances at me again. “What else has been going on with the two of you?”
I can tell by the smile on her face, she knows we did the deed even though I never technically admitted to it when we met for coffee. Truth be told, I need a girlfriend sometimes. I need someone I can gossip with, talk about womanly things with. “We did the deed in the backseat of his Jeep. Hands down the best sex of my life,” I giggle as I make the admission.
“There is something about Mason,” Violet lets slip as she crosses her legs. “It’s that daddy look he has.”
“He told me that’s why he asked me out.” I laugh so hard I snort. “Because I didn’t ask him to be my daddy on the dating app. So many women asked him to punish them. Oh my God, he showed me the messages.” I laugh.
“I’m just saying, any man who has the look of concentration he does, can totally spank me anytime.” She gives me a sly grin.
“Maybe that’s something you can talk to Anthony about.”
“Maybe so,” she snickers.
When we leave the nail salon, I have a smile on my face and a spring in my step that wasn’t there before. When I came to Laurel Springs, it was to get away from a past I didn’t want to face. It was to escape the literally most embarrassing moments of my life. Now, I can’t imagine living my life anywhere else. In the short time I’ve been here, this place has become ingrained in my body, a piece of me, and as I walk into one of the boutiques on the main square, I realize there’s no other place I’d rather be.
My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans, and when I see Mason’s smiling face, I automatically unlock it, reading the text message like a junkie needing a hit.
M: Important question here. Coke or Pepsi?
A grin plays against my lips, as I quickly text out an answer.
K: Pepsi, is there any other brand?
M: Nooooo!!! You were the perfect woman, but our regional differences strike. There’s no other brand than Coke.
K: Screw you, buddy, I’m still perfect. Truth be told, give me a Dr. Pepper any day.
I grin as I fire off the text.
M: Nice, a rebel. That’s fuckin’ hot.
K: That’s me, big guy. A rebel, totally hot for you.
Glancing around to make sure no one’s watching, I lift my phone up, and take a selfie with puckered lips.
M: Back at ya, babe.
He sends me an answering text with him and Holden giving me a thumbs up, big smiles on their faces. When I make it to my car, I have the biggest smile on my face, and the warmest spot in my heart. Laurel Springs is the best place to be.
Menace
